Year of Release: 2023
Director: Emerald Fennell
Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Archie Madekwe, Paul Rhys, Carey Mulligan, Alison Oliver, Dorothy Atkinson, Shaun Dooley, Reece Shearsmith
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review
After scoring an Academy Award for "Promising Young Woman" (best original screenplay), writer/producer/director Emerald Fennell is back with a decidedly different narrative. The film focuses its attention on Oliver Quick, who attends Oxford University. He struggles a bit to find his footing in that environment, and soon enough becomes friends with the charismatic, affluent and popular Felix Catton. Felix responds to Oliver's apparent economic challenges and also family and domestic troubles that seem to plague Oliver's existence. When Oliver announces his father's death, Felix invites him to spend the Summer at his family's estate, named Saltburn. There he meets Felix's parents, Sir James and Lady Elspeth, alongside Felix's sister Venetia and his American cousin Farleigh. Oliver quickly ingratiates himself with Felix's parents, and his obsession with Felix himself increases. As games of seduction escalate, Sir James and Lady Elspeth plan a party for Oliver's birthday. However, Felix unexpectedly decides to take Oliver for a visit with what he assumes to be his estranged mother. Turns out both Oliver's parents are alive and well, haven't had any issues with each other and live in a respectable suburb. Felix is repulsed by Oliver's lies and wants him to leave after the celebratory party. However Oliver has different plans.
"Saltburn" brings to mind a few other films/tv-series immediately as the narrative unfolds. The most obvious reference is of course the character of Tom Ripley from Patricia Highsmith's books, which was adapted to the screen several times, starting with 1960's "Plein Soleil" with Alain Delon, and one the most recent ones being "The Talented Mr. Ripley" from Anthony Minghella, with Matt Damon as Ripley. Another literary property that pops up immediately is the adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited", which was a showcase for Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews in the early 80s. All this to say, this film doesn't necessarily set anything particularly new in motion or treads any sort of unexpected territory. The writer/director has something to say about the disaffected behaviors of the higher class or the extreme affluent, but that's something that Paul Mazursky for instance did so well in "Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills", and with far more humor and irreverence. This film is somewhat successful in creating a particular universe in which the Catton's live, a bit like a bauble of a reality, self contained and also at odds with the modern world, but it's simply not enough to move the narrative forward, nor are they at the center of the narrative. Oliver as the morally and sexually ambiguous center of the narrative is meant to be the disruptor, but unlike Terence Stamp in Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Teorema/Theorem", his character is never given much substance, and he ends up being a rather underwhelming presence for most of the film (even his Alex Forrest moments lack gravitas). What is left of this film is essentially a decal from what others have previously done, to a better effect, with some interesting stylistic moments thrown in for good measure, and with some unnecessary scenes that are meant to elicit some surprise, but mostly come across as shallow. The cast tries their best to bring these characters to life, carrying the nonsense of the narrative as much as they can, but Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and Jacob Elordi are the most memorable actors of the cast (Barry Keoghan who was so fantastic in Yorgos Lanthimos "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" looks and feels too old to be playing this character). The production team is excellent, with particular highlights going to Linus Sandgren's cinematography, Anthony Willis' score, and production design by Suzie Davies. It's a puzzling film, and not for the right reasons. Hopefully the next film from this author will be a more focused one.
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